Valerie Perrine, 'Superman' Actress & Oscar Nominee for 'Lenny,' Dies at 82

Valerie Perrine, the actress known for her Academy Award-nominated performance in "Lenny" — and her iconic work as a Superman vixen — has died at 82.

Perrine's passing, after years of battling Parkinson's disease, was announced on her official page.

In a statement, her friends and caretakers wrote, "It is with deep sadness that I share the heartbreaking news that Valerie has passed away. She faced Parkinson’s disease with incredible courage and compassion, never once complaining. She was a true inspiration who lived life to the fullest—and what a magnificent life it was. The world feels less beautiful without her in it."

"I love you, Valerie. I’ll see you on the other side."

The statement urges charitable work in her honor: "Please consider donating, sharing, and helping spread the word for her funeral GoFundMe. Her final wish is to be laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery, but after more than 15 years of fighting Parkinson’s, her finances are exhausted. Let’s come together to make her last wish a reality — she truly deserves it."

A GoFundMe link was included.

Like Superman himself, Perrine had a remarkable origin story: Working as a Las Vegas showgirl in the late '60s, she was asked to attend a dinner party in L.A. by a charming guy she met. Her understudy was ill, so she had to regretfully decline, only to discover she had narrowly avoided being murdered — along with Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring, the celebrity hairstylist who had invited her — by the Manson Family.

She also had to survive the unthinkable when her fiancé accidentally shot himself to death one month before their wedding. She never married.

Perrine then moved to L.A. and was within a few years discovered at a party. With no acting experience, she was cast in the major motion picture "Slaughterhouse-Five" (1972).

Her career snowballed quickly, thanks to her kittenish quality and natural acting style, which made her a remarkably accessible presence.

Often leading with her showgirl's physique, Perrine posed for Playboy in 1972 and deliberately became the first woman to go topless on American television in a PBS airing of the off-Broadway production "Steambath" (1973).

For 1974's "Lenny," in which she played controversial comic Lenny Bruce's stripper wife Honey, Perrine was named Best Actress at Cannes and was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe.

Perrine miraculously survived a small-plane crash in Europe while promoting the film.

By far, her most famous turn came in the first two "Superman" films (1978 & 1980), opposite Christopher Reeve. As Miss Teschmacher, she played a comic-book villainess with a soft side.

Unfortunately, while "Can't Stop the Music" (1980) made ample use of her dancing and razzle-dazzle abilities, the film was a too-late attempt to cash in on disco fever, complete with the Village People and Caitlyn Jenner, and tanked hard at the box office, seemingly stunting her career.

Some of her other noteworthy films included "W.C. Fields and Me" (1976), "The Electric Horseman" (1979), "The Border" (1982), "Maid to Order" (1987), and "Silver Skies" (2016).

Her 1981 cameo in "Cannonball Run" arguably stole the whole movie. In it, a speeding driver played by Adrienne Barbeau prepares to get out of a ticket by presenting her cleavage, only to be greeted by female cop Perrine, who quips, "Well, hello, Hot Pants. I don't suppose you have a driver's license tucked down in there somewhere, do you?"

Perrine also made many TV appearances, including in the movie "Malibu" (1983), on Shelley Duvall's "Faerie Tale Theatre" (1985), and on the short-lived series "Leo & Liz in Beverly Hills" (1986) opposite Harvey Korman.

She was Lucy in a TV production of "Sweet Bird of Youth" (1989) and guested on "Northern Exposure" (1992), "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1995), "ER" (1995), "Nash Bridges" (1996), "The Practice" (1997), "Walker, Texas Ranger" (1998), "Just Shoot Me!" (2001), and "Lights Out" (2011).

Perrine recurred on the daytime soap "As the World Turns" from 1998-1999.

In 2015, having shot "Silver Skies," she was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which ended her acting career and began a new phase of trying to be as well as possible. Her case was severe, and the medication eroded her teeth. To call attention to those harsh realities, she appeared on TV to show the process of receiving dental implants.

When attending autograph shows became too burdensome, she turned to selling her signature to her many fans on Facebook, and would occasionally post a photo of herself with a famous visitor, especially her "Superman" co-star and friend Sarah Douglas.

In 2023, Perrine was profiled by Seth Abramovitch for The Hollywood Reporter about her declining health. Her close pal Stacey Souther, asked about his friend's eventual death, said, "It’s going to really be painful. But I know on the other side of that, she’s not going to be sick. Valerie is not a complainer. But she’s been going through something for over 10 years. She’s bedridden and all that. So, I think of the flip side of that, and like, what I’m saying is that she’ll finally be free.”